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and shows the history of

and shows the history of the world from creation to the exodus from Egypt, dividing events into periods of 49 years - or Jubilees, hence the name - further divided in turn into periods of seven years. Ethiopian Book of Enoch It is an apocryphal text of Jewish origin, accepted only by the Coptic tradition, its final version dates back to the first century BC and the only recovered version is written in the ancient language of Ethiopia, hence the name. Perhaps it is the product of the unification of previous texts. It consists of several sections: the Book of Vigilantes (chapters 1-36), the Book of Parables (chapters 37-71), the book of Astronomy or the book of Celestial Luminaries (chapters 72-82), the book of Dreams (chapters 83-90), the letter of Enoch (chapters 91-104) and the final section (chapters 105-108), also known as The Apocalypse of Noah. Masoretes The Masoretes were those guardians of “tradition” (masorah) who, in the first millennium AD, intervened on biblical texts in order to definitively establish the canon. Besides other things they defined the spelling and pronunciation, integrating vowels; created branches of words, book, sections, paragraph and verses; took care of textual adjustments in order to prevent misinterpretations. Among the texts proposed by the various Masoretes who followed one another over the centuries, the code developed by the Ben Asher family, from the school of Tiberias (eighth century AD), was recognized as the standard text of the Bible. They called themselves “pointers” (naqdanìm). In fact they were those who developed and implemented the consonant text with a system of points and dashes to indicate vowel sounds enabling the reading of the sacred text with the correct pronunciation. The result is a precise as much as complex vocalization system that, for this reason, we do not take into account here. Mitochondria Mitochondria are organelles found in the cells of all animals and plants whose metabolism depends on oxygen. They are small bodies involved in the cellular 212

espiration. Their most important function is to extract energy from organic substances; they are furthermore responsible for cell cycle regulation and heat production. Moab This term indicated the region between the Dead Sea, Westward, and the Syro- Arabian desert, Eastward; it ended South with the torrent Zéred (the current Wadi el Kesa). Moab was also Lot's son born of the incestuous relationship with his eldest daughter after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah: we know it as the eponym of Moabites (Gen 19:37). Saint Ambrose Aurelius Ambrose was born in 334 (or 339) in Trier (Germany), where his father was prefect of Gaul's Praetorian Guard; belonging to a prominent family, he attended the best schools in Rome and devoted himself to public life: he was a magistrate, governor of Liguria and Emilia, and finally, in Milan he was governor of Northern Italy. In 374 he was declared bishop by popular acclaim, although he had not yet received baptism. After Emperor Flavius Valentinian had confirmed his charge, in a week Ambrose was baptized and received the Episcopal hat. He toughly fought against Aryanism and paganism. He had a great weight on public life, and, thanks to the influence exerted by the Christian Emperor Theodosius, he constantly tried to enslave politics to religious power; he wrote works of theology and morals, introduced fundamental reforms in the worshiping and liturgical singing; he played a fundamental role in the conversion of St. Augustine, his most famous follower. He died in 397. He is revered as a saint and has been included among the Doctors of the Church. Ugarit City on the North coast of Syria, corresponding to the current site of Ras Shamrah, a few miles North of the modern city of Latakia. Capital of the ancient homonymous kingdom, it was located on the Mediterranean at the mouth of a major caravan route from Mesopotamia, on the border between the 213